“Your real, new self (which is Christ’s and also yours, and yours just because it is His) will not come as long as you are looking for it. It will come when you are looking for Him. Does that sound strange? The same principle holds, you know, for more everyday matters. Even in social life, you will never make a good impression on other people until you stop thinking about what sort of impression you are making. Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it. The principle runs through all life from top to bottom, Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
— C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)
— C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity)
4 comments:
I read it. I understand it. I struggle to find the balance of being your true self and not frightening off the people around you. I mean, if you frighten people away by being 'real', and they cannot understand or accept or handle 'real', how can you be a blessing or a vessel or a help or a anything?
Praying God will sort it through for you and give you clarity.
@CK: I totally understand this and too have to watch out for getting to um, lets say "inspired" while in the midst of being myself. I'm a woman with a voice!
However, what I've been struggling with is peeps who look to be something (from the social media outlets: blogs, twitter, facebook) but when you know them in real life, they are not who they portray themselves to be on the social media outlet. Not that who they are in real life is bad or unlovely, just not the perfect picture that they have wanted the outside world (FB friends) to be.
I really struggle with watching updates that are not just informative or encouraging, but more "Look at ME!" type updates.
I find that it's just creating a cycle of insecurity and false relationships, especially in women.
Oh geez, this has turned out to be a LOT bigger response then I intended :)
But it is an issue that I have struggled with on and off for a few months now. And I found that quote (written long ago at that) was just the perfect fit.
Life isn't about how many people follow you on twitter/facebook/blog, it's not about how many kids you have or how big your home is. It's about the quality in which you conduct your life, with authenticity and grace.
Ugh, sorry - verbal vomit! Am I making sense or just out to lunch?
Heaven's knows that I've got some real good friends cause only real good friends can love a crazy like me!
GREAT quote, I agree :)
I think I need to read that book, sounds good!
Okay, I read this post earlier in the day and then had to really think about it...process it and formulate a response....not that I didn't get it...just to get a reply straight in my head and maybe have a caffeine jolt first.
I totally understand and agree...with your post, with the comment posted by KE and your reply to her.
It seems that the "facades" we women have the ability to put on far outweigh those of men (our men and/or men in general).
Why do we do this, well, insecurity yes, but haven't we also been taught so by the world to do so? It's easy to get sucked into the vortex of today's media? Its a nice way to hide our insecurities, tuck away the things we don't like about ourselves and be who we really "want" to be....but where does that get us? It's a slippery slope, less face to face contact, more digital time, less emotion and less "reality."
So I guess we have to go back to the beginning: living in the world but not being of the world.
What that looks like for each of us is different, but I would dare to say the less "media" we interject, the more "face to face" we add, the more love and acceptance we'll receive from those around us, the more we'll feel free to be who we really are.....loud voice and all ;-)
And just so ya know...I love your loud voice and will take more of it any day!
xx
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